Easily opened fluid pouch

ABSTRACT

These containers for fluid materials have a piercable sealing element that is easier to locate and pierce. A fitment, sealed between edges of a front and a rear panel, has a tubular opening covered by a frangible seal of piercable barrier material. The spot to be pierced with the straw is well defined and, since the seal is held securely by the fitment, easier to pierce. In addition, the placement of the fitting minimizes the risks of puncturing both sides of the container.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent application serial No. 60/447,657 filed Feb. 14, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Packages formed of flexible film are a common and convenient package for beverages and other fluid materials. They are lightweight, generally inexpensive and, if made with proper materials, equipment and processes, can be highly resistant to leaks, tears, ruptures and other failures. One endemic problem with these containers, however, is striking an optimum balance between durability and ease of opening or access. Some of these packages have valves attached, particularly in larger sizes. However, this adds to the expense, and valves that are economically acceptable are not always satisfactory in operation.

[0003] Another approach has been to provide straws or other tubes with the packages. The straws typically have tapered or chiseled points that the consumer can use to punch a hole in the side of the package. CAPRI SUN® fruit juice packs, distributed by Kraft Foods Inc. under license from Rudolph Wild GmbH & Co. KG, exemplify this type. Packages of this general type of construction, and processes for their production, are illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,646 to Doyen et al, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] Unfortunately, the films of these packages sometimes are stronger than the straws and more adroit than the consumers. The packages may have a weakened spot that is designed to be pierced, but these are not always readily found or struck, particularly if the consumer attempts to pierce the package at an angle. Thus, the straws frequently slip off the package, repeatedly. Attempting to pierce the bag at an angle can also rip or tear the package. If consumers try to compensate by piercing the package at right angles to the surface, they may pierce both the front and back films of the package, producing leaks.

[0005] There have been many attempts to solve this problem. Sections of the package wall have been reinforced, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,583 to Wild. But this does not entirely solve the problem of locating the spot to insert the straw, or solve the problem of piercing both sides of the bag. Fitments for straws, valves, caps and the like have been proposed, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,261 to Butters, U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,848 to Massioui and U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,307 to Gross et al. But they are somewhat bulky, and add a significant amount to the cost of the package. Another proposal has been to add a V-shaped film (also referred to as a gusset) at the top of the package, between the front and back panels, forming a pocket with a groove that is pierced by the straw, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,968 to Smith et al, U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,825 to Larkin et al and U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,255 to Kaufmann et al. This requires a somewhat larger pouch, however, and adds some cost. Thus, it would be desirable to have a simple, flexible package for beverages and other fluid materials that can be pierced with a straw or other tube with less difficulty.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] This invention provides containers for fluid materials, such as flexible pouches for beverages, with a piercable sealing element that is easier to locate and pierce. These containers have a fitment, sealed between edges of a front and a rear panel, with a tubular opening extending through the fitment and a frangible seal of a piercable barrier material, i.e. a material that substantially inhibits the transmission of gaseous and/or liquid material into and out of the pouch, covering the opening. With this construction, the spot to be pierced with the straw is well defined and, since the seal is held securely by the fitment, easier to pierce. In addition, the placement of the fitting minimizes the risks of puncturing both sides of the container.

[0007] Other advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description.

DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of one container for fluid materials embodying this invention.

[0009]FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the container shown in FIG. 1.

[0010]FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the container shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0011]FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the top seal, from the same vantage point as FIG. 1.

[0012]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another container embodying this invention.

[0013]FIG. 6 is a partially broken away side elevation view of the container shown in FIG. 5.

[0014]FIG. 7 is a sectional detailed view of components used for the packages in FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0015]FIG. 8 is a similar detailed sectional view illustrating an alternate method of construction.

[0016]FIG. 9 is a further enlarged cross-sectional view of a container made in accordance with FIG. 8.

[0017]FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the fitment in the top seal of the container in FIG. 5, with the front panel of the container removed to show detail of the fitment.

[0018]FIG. 11 is an enlarged bottom view of the fitment in FIG. 10, taken along lines 11-11 in FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a beverage container, referred to generally as 20, embodying this invention. Container 20 comprises a pouch 21, having a front panel 23 and a rear panel 25, best seen in FIG. 2. The side edges of the front panel 23 and rear panel 25 are welded together at a left side seam or seal 31 and a right side seam 33. A top seam 35 extends from the left side seam 31, around a fitment 120, to the right side seam 33. Readers should understand that, as used herein, terms such as “front,” “rear,” “side,” “left,” “right,” “top” and “bottom” are arbitrary. They refer to the positions of the illustrated containers in the figures, are used for convenience of understanding, and should not be understood to indicate any position which these containers must assume in use.

[0020] The illustrated pouch 21 may be formed by folding a unitary sheet of material and welding side edges as shown in FIG. 1. However, it may also be formed from two separate webs of material, with the bottom edges of the sheets welded together in the same manner as the side edges.

[0021] The fitment 120 and other elements forming the upper end of the container are illustrated in more detail in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. Fitment 120 comprises a tubular conduit 121 which extends through top seal 35. A weld flange 123 extends laterally from the upper end of tubular conduit 121. An opening 125 extends through the weld flange 123 and tubular conduit 121, providing access to the beverage or other fluid material inside the pouch. A top surface 127 of weld flange 123, which is preferably substantially planar, is preferably covered by a pierceable barrier seal 131 which protects the material inside the pouch. Seal 131 should include a barrier material, such as aluminum foil or ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), which protects the material inside the pouch but is readily pierced by the illustrated straw 141, which has a chiseled or tapered tip 143, or other implement, to access and consume or otherwise use the beverage or other fluid material within the pouch. Straw 141 may be attached to the exterior of the pouch, optionally encased in a protective sleeve, and adapted for detachment by the consumer or separately supplied. Seal 131 is preferably attached to the top surface 127 of weld flange 123, for ease and economy of construction, but could also be attached to the bottom surface of the flange, or in some cases a seal could be applied to both surfaces.

[0022] Pouch 21 may be constructed of a wide variety of single-layer or multi-layered films. As seen in FIG. 3, three-layered films having an inner layer of polyethylene or other material that is acceptable for beverage service and can be sealed to itself by heat bonding is preferred. Barrier materials, such as aluminum foil, polymers such as PET, nylon, polypropylene, coated with silicon oxide (SiOx) or aluminum oxide (AlOx), or co-extruded with EVOH, are preferred for the center layers 232 and 252. Transparent materials, such as polyester and nylon are preferred for the outer layers 233 and 253, which are preferably printed on the inside of the outer layer to protect the printing. As seen in FIG. 3, the inner layer 231 of front panel 23 and the inner layer 251 of rear panel 25 are bonded to each other and to the outer surface of tubular conduit 121 to seal the top of the container.

[0023]FIGS. 5 through 11 disclose another fluid container, generally referred to as 60, embodying this invention. Container 60 has a standup pouch 61, i.e., a pouch designed to stand erect on its own base or bottom. Like the pouch shown in the previous figures, pouch 61 is constructed from a front panel 63 and a rear panel 65. However, pouch 61 also has a bottom panel 67 which enables the pouch to stand erect. As best seen on the cutaway right-hand side of FIG. 6, the center of the bottom panel is substantially horizontal when the central portion of the pouch is filled with liquid and stands erect. However, as seen in FIG. 5, the outer ends of bottom panel 67 extend upwardly to points 66 along the side edges and above the bottom or base of the pouch. The bottom panel 67 is also sealed to the front panel 63 and the rear panel 65 along a lateral or transverse seam 77, at the bottom edges of the front and rear panels, and along diagonal or orthogonal seals 79 which extend from the aforementioned points 66 along the side seams 71 and 73 to points 68, along the transverse seams, displaced from the side seams.

[0024] Container 60 has either an elongated or boat-shaped fitment 160, illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, or a non-elongated fitment (straight edge) in a top seam 75 between front and rear panels 63, 67. A tubular opening 161 through fitment 160 provides access to the pouch contents. A series of laterally extending ribs 167 or sealing surfaces provide narrow sealing surfaces that reduce the pressure needed to ensure a good seal between the fitment 160 and the front and rear panels of the pouch. Ribs 167 taper to laterally extending fins 168 which help to prevent leaks at the corners between the panels and the fitment.

[0025] A welding flange 173 extends laterally from the top of the fitment 160. The flange is covered with a pierceable seal 171, preferably of a barrier material containing aluminum foil or ethylene vinyl alcohol. Like the barrier seal 131 for pouch 20, seal 171 provides a well defined, securely held seal that is easy to pierce with a straw or other implement to consume or otherwise use the beverage or other fluid material within the pouch.

[0026] The pouch illustrated in FIGS. 5-11, like the pouch illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, may be constructed of one, two, three or more layers of disparate film. FIG. 7 illustrates one method for producing a pouch of this type. The front panel 63, rear panel 65 and bottom panel 67 are produced from one or more webs of flexible material, with the bottom panel 67 being folded to form a narrow “U” or “V” shape that is placed between the front panel and rear panel. The side edges of the panels are heat sealed together to form the left and right side seams 71 and 73. The inner surfaces 631 and 651 of the front and rear panels 63 and 65 are sealed to the inner surface 671 of the bottom panel 67. The outer side 672 of the bottom panel is sealed to itself, thus providing unbroken side seams 71 and 73 from the top of the container to the bottom.

[0027] During the heat sealing of the panels, a non-adhesive shield is placed between the centerfolds of the bottom panels so that the outer sides 672 of the bottom panel 67 will not be welded together other than at the side seams 71 and 73. Thus, the sides of the pouch are free to expand and assume the stable position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0028]FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate an alternate method of producing the pouches shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 from a single web of a two layer material. The inner layer 871 is heat sealable, but the outer layer 872 may be a non-sealable barrier material or a material selected for other properties.

[0029] The outer layer 872 has holes 874 along its side edges in the section that is folded to form the bottom panel. Holes 874 are aligned for sealing, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, and the inner layers 871 of the bottom panel 87 are sealed to each other, through holes 874, as well as to the inner layers 831 and 851 of the front and rear panels 83 and 85. Thus, substantially continuous seams are formed along the side edges of the pouch, but the central section of the bottom panel is free to unfold. With this construction, the transverse seam may be omitted or may extend only part way across the width of the pouch. However, this seam may still be desirable for stability.

[0030] Of course, while the invention has been described in detail, with particular emphasis on preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should also appreciate that many variations and modifications to and variations of the embodiments described herein within the spirit and scope of this invention, which is defined by the following claims. 

We claim:
 1. A container for fluid material comprising: a first flexible panel and a second flexible panel with said first flexible panel sealed to said second flexible panel along a first side edge of each of said flexible panels and along a second edge of each of said flexible panels; and a fitment sealed between said first flexible panel and said second flexible panel along third edges of each of said flexible panels, said third edges being intermediate said first edge of each flexible panel and said second edge of each flexible panel, said fitment having an opening covered by a frangible element that may be pierced to access said fluid.
 2. A container according to claim 1 wherein said frangible element comprises a barrier material.
 3. A container according to claim 2 wherein said barrier material is selected from the group consisting of aluminum foil, polymer film from the group consisting of polyethylene terpthalate, nylon or polypropylene coated with silicon oxide (SiOx) or aluminum oxide (AlOx), and polymer film co-extruded with ethylene vinyl alcohol.
 4. A container according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said flexible panels comprises a heat-sealable inner layer of polyethylene or polypropylene, a center layer of a barrier material, and an outer layer of polyester or nylon
 5. A container according to claim 4 wherein said barrier material comprises aluminum foil, polymer film coated with silicon oxide (SiOx) or aluminum oxide (AlOx), or polymer film co-extruded with ethylene vinyl alcohol.
 6. A container according to claim 1 wherein said panels comprise a substantially transparent outer layer and at least one additional layers, said outer layer comprising a printed inner surface.
 7. A container according to claim 1, further comprising a flexible bottom panel, sealed to and separating said first flexible panel and said second flexible panel, along fourth edges of said first and second panels, opposite to said third edge, whereby said fourth edges support said container in an upright position.
 8. A container according to claim 7 wherein said bottom is sealed to said first and said second panels along diagonal seams that extend from side points along said side edges of said first and second panels, said side points being spaced from said fourth edge, to end points along said fourth edge that are spaced from said side edges.
 9. A pouch for non-carbonated beverages, comprising: a flexible body with an opening; a fitment extending through said opening and sealed to said body, said fitment having a surface covered by a frangible material that may be pierced to access said liquid.
 10. A beverage pouch according to claim 9 wherein said opening is between a front panel of said body and a rear panel of said body, said front panel and said rear panel being heat sealed to each and to said fitment to form a seam that extends from one side of said body to an opposite side of said body.
 11. A beverage pouch according to claim 10 wherein: said fitment comprises a tubular conduit that extends through said seam between said front panel and said rear panel, a weld flange extending laterally from an outer end of said tubular conduit and opening; and an opening extending through said weld flange and said tubular conduit; and said frangible material comprises a barrier layer sealed to said weld flange and covering said opening.
 12. A beverage pouch according to claim 11 wherein said barrier layer comprises aluminum foil, polymer film coated with silicon oxide (SiOx) or aluminum oxide (AlOx), or coated polymer film or EVOH co-extruded with ethylene vinyl alcohol.
 13. A beverage pouch according to claim 10 wherein: said fitment comprises a body that extends through said seam between said front panel and said rear panel, with an opening extending through said tapered body; and said frangible material comprises a barrier layer sealed to said weld flange and covering said opening.
 14. A beverage pouch according to claim 13 wherein said body comprises sealing ribs that taper to fins that extend between said front panel and said rear panel,
 15. A beverage pouch according to claim 13 wherein said barrier layer according to claim 2 wherein said barrier material comprises aluminum foil, polymer film coated with silicon oxide (SiOx) or aluminum oxide (AlOx), or coated polymer film or EVOH co-extruded with ethylene vinyl alcohol.
 16. A fitment comprising: one or more sealing surfaces adapted to be sealed into a seam of a flexible pouch; a top surface exposed to the exterior of said pouch when said fitment is sealed in the seam of said pouch; a bottom surface exposed to the interior of said pouch when said fitment is sealed in the seam of said pouch; an opening extending through said fitment from said top surface to said bottom surface; and one or more frangible elements applied across said opening.
 17. The fitment of claim 16 wherein one of said frangible elements is applied across the top surface of said fitment.
 18. The fitment of claim 16 wherein one of said frangible elements is applied across the bottom surface of said fitment.
 19. The fitment of claim 16 wherein frangible elements are applied across both the top surface and the bottom surface of said fitment.
 20. The fitment of claim 16 having two curved sealing surfaces.
 21. The fitment of claim 16 wherein said frangible element comprises a barrier material. 